Oh, the Trail Blazers hung close for a quarter, but the Spurs scored 41 points in the second quarter — they did it pushing the ball in transition, they did it moving the ball to the open man, they did it knocking down threes.

It was a 19-point game at the half, and when the Spurs took their foot off the gas in the fourth and the Blazers cut the lead to 8, the Spurs responded with an 11-2 run and put it away quickly.

San Antonio went on to win comfortably 114-97. Seven Spurs were in double figures as it was a vintage Spurs team win.

The Spurs are now up 2-0 and in complete control of the series. Portland should make things more interesting heading back to Rip City for Game 3 Saturday night, but it’s nearly impossible to picture them winning 4-of-5 from the Spurs, which is the task before them now.

For the Spurs, it starts on the defensive end — and it’s really starting with Tiago Splitter. As he did with Dirk Nowitzki the series before, Splitter is making life difficult for LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers All-Star power forward finished with 16 points on 6-of-23 shooting, and you can thank Splitter for that.

Being able to single-cover Aldridge lets the Spurs defenders stay home on three-point shooters — the Blazers have gotten fewer good looks from beyond they arc then they want.

That defense from the Spurs leads to a lot of good looks for the Spurs in transition — by design they like to get Tony Parker the ball off a miss and let him push the ball up the court, break down the defense before it gets set and get a good look. That worked well. The Spurs had 17 fast break points in the first half, by the Blazers’ count the Spurs had 32 points in transition plus offensive rebounds — and that’s just the first half.

San Antonio went on an 18-2 run early in the second quarter and the game was basically over from there. The Spurs up were 70-51 at half, having shot 58 percent overall plus knocking down 7-of-10 from three.

For the game Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting (4-of-4 from three), but this was a team win not an individual one. A balanced win. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili each had 16 points (and both seemed to live in the paint again), Marco Belinelli had 13, Boris Diaw 12, Tim Duncan and Splitter each had 10.

The Blazers were led by Nicolas Batum, who had 21 points. Damian Lillard had 19 points but needed 20 shots to get it, plus he was just 1-of-6 from three. The Spurs are chasing him off the line.

Giver the Blazers credit, they would not just roll over. They made a fourth quarter run, they got some stops and with Splitter resting and Diaw on LaMarcus Aldridge. Quickly the lead was 9, then 8. Then…

Then the Spurs flipped the switch again, went on an 11-2 run and ended it.

The series shifts back to Portland and the fans there are going to be loud. Expect the Blazers to make shots. Expect there to be no snakes anywhere near the locker room.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.